October, 1997: MONTH OF ACTION
OCTOBER, 1997
END CORPORATE DOMINANCE MONTH
INTERNATIONAL DAYS OF ACTION
Dear ECD participants,October 1997 was selected as a month of action against corporations at the Earth First! Round River Rendezvous in July. Across the world, groups will be planning demonstrations targeting their least favorite corporate plunderer. Whether your group chooses MAXXAM, Shell, Nike, Mitsubishi, Exxon, or Champion, whether your site is the corporate headquarters, a neighborhood toxic dump or the CEO's private residence, corporations around the world will feel our united rage! While Earth First! is promoting and coordinating October ECD actions, any and all groups who struggle against corporations are encouraged to organize their events in whatever style suits them best.
If your group wants to participate in the INTERNATIONAL MONTH OF ACTION TO END CORPORATE DOMINANCE, please contact the EF! End Corporate Dominance Campaign ASAP. Begin organizing your demo TODAY! To make this a coordinated campaign, and for effective media notification, we would like to know a little bit about each of our chosen targets. Please send a copy of your media notice (a rough draft is fine) ASAP, and we will forward the list to each participant for use at the protests. Lets be BOLD, CREATIVE and UNCOMPROMISING!
These protests will not be taking place in a vacuum. The challenge to corporate dominance is coming from all over the world, from labor, human rights, indigenous resistance, peace, social justice, and environmental movements. In the US, teach-ins focusing on Corporations, Education and Democracy will be taking place globally during the first week of March,1998. Last year, dozens of demonstrations took place all over the world on End Corporate Dominance Day, October 29th. This year we are giving ourselves more flexibility and including quite a few other anti-corporate days of action by declaring the whole month of October as End Corporate Dominance month. We are not alone, and our actions will reinforce each other's campaigns, if we act promptly. LETS GET WITH IT!
ECD OCTOBER CALENDAR
Aug. 23-Dec. 2
Corporate Watch's "100 Days of Action Against the Oil Industry," (mainly a UK campaign. Dec. 2 is the Kyoto climate summit) Contact: email: mail@corporatewatch.i-way.co.uk or: Jim at 0171 865 8234, or: 100days@waveland.org or write to 100 days, c/o Corporate Watch, Box E, 111 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RQ. Cosponsors: Reclaim The Streets, Cardigan Bay Earth First!, Greenpeace, Oilwatch, and DeltaOct. 1
Free Nigeria Movement "Day of Fasting for a Free Nigeria" The fast seeks to increase awareness of the brutal Abacha regime, to pressure for the use of sanctions and to get our communities and schools NOT to use the products and services of corporations that do business in or with Nigeria, most notably Coca-Cola, Shell Oil, and Motorola. Contact: Nasiru Ikharo, 317-216-4590 or PR@FreeNigeria.Org
web site: http://www.FreeNigeria.org/Oct. 2-16
The Foundation on Economic Trends, the Pure Food Campaign, and activists from around the world "Global Days of Action" against genetically engineered foods, life patents, and factory farming. Simultaneous demos are planned in 40 different countries. Contact: Ronnie Cummins, 218-226-4155, email: alliance@mr.net
web site: http://www.geocities.com/athens/1527/Oct. 4
National Labor Committee "Day of Conscience" kickoff for a petition drive for better sweatshop regulations. Contact: 212-242-3002Oct. 4
Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice protests the proposed Cassini plutonium rocket launch in Cape Canaveral at 1pm, with vigils around the clock. Solidarity actions called for at Lockheed Martin branches and all aerospace/military sites. Although the planned Oct. 6th launch date is likely to be delayed, protests will not be postponed! Contact: Bruce Gagnon, (352) 468 3295, email fcpj@juno.com
web site: www.fcpj.orgOct. 6
Free Burma Coalition demo against Unocal in El Segundo, California to protest the human rights abuses and environmental degradation in Burma.Oct. 8
Big Mountain Support Network's Peabody Day of Action. Also targeting Hanson, Energy Group and PacifiCorp. Contact: Jason, PO Box 3412, Tucson, AZ 85722, e-mail: granmonta@hotmail.com or Turtle, tortuga@sw-center.orgOct. 11
"Kids Against McDonald's Day". Contact: U.S. McLibel Support Campaign, Phone/Fax 802-586-9628, PO Box 62 Craftsbury, VT 05826-0062, dbriars@world.std.com or McLibel Support Campaign, Tel/Fax +44-(0)171 713 1269, mclibel@globalnet.co.uk
web site: http://www.mcspotlight.org/Oct. 12
"Day of Solidarity With McDonald's Workers" Contact: McLibel Support CampaignOct. 13
Dia de la Raza/"Columbus Day"Oct. 13
Indigenous Environmental Network "Unplug America - Give Mother Earth a Rest Day" UNPLUG! from all our electric, battery-operated, fossil fuel conveniences, and spend a day off the "grid." Contact: Tom Goldtooth c/o Indigenous Environmental Network, ien@igc.apc.org
web site: http://oraibi.alphacdc.com/ien/a-unplug.htmlOct. 16
"World day of action against McDonalds" Contact: McLibel SupportOct. 17
PACT (People Against Corporate Takeover) action against Monsanto in Springfield, MA Contact PACT, Bob Spivey, 413-625-0141, POB 601, Northampton, MA 01061-0601Oct. 18
"International day of action against Nike" Contact: Campaign for Labor Rights, Trim Bissell, Coordinator (541) 344-5410, email: clr@igc.apc.org
web site: http://www.compugraph.com/clr/Oct. 18
"100th birthday "celebration" of Shell," part of the 100 days of action against the oil industry. Contact: Corporate Watch email: mail@corporatewatch.i-way.co.ukOct. 24
War Resisters League "Day Without the Pentagon" Contact: Chris Ney, WRL, (212) 228-0450; fax (212) 228-6193; email: wrl@igc.apc.org
web site: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl/mid-Oct.
The Corporate Planet: Ecology and Politics in the Age of Globalization, by Josh Karliner of Corporate Watch (USA) will be published by Sierra Club Books in October, and he will be touring the book around during the last half of October.Oct. 31-Nov.2
Democracy Teach-in organizing conference, Unversity of Chicago. The Teach-ins, focusing on democracy and corporate power, will be held at universities and community centers internationally during the week of Mar. 1-7, 1998. The organizing conference is to educate and train Teach-in participants, featuring Ralph Nader. Demonstrations for ECD Oct. are also planned. Contact: Democracy Teach-in Clearinghouse, Outreach Division, 617-354-9363.Nov. 10
Anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, an international day of action against Shell.Other End Corporate Dominance October actions are taking place in:
Ireland
Contact: Robert Allen, email: atglas@tinet.ie
Finland
Contact: Saara Henriksson Garbage-campaign, P.O.Box 21, 00 411 Helsinki
FINLAND, email: h2003@sci.fi
England
Contact: hippy@oneworld.org or mail@corporatewatch.i-way.co.uk
Canada
Contact: Mike Buckthought, ag270@freenet.carleton.ca
USA
Idaho; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; St. Louis, MO; New Orleans, LA; Chattenooga, TN; Boulder, CO; Green Bay, WI; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Washington, DC; Eugene & elsewhere, OR; Houston, TX, Fayetteville, AR,Richmond, IN; and Carbondale, IL (that we know of so far). Contact: End Corporate Dominance Campaign, c/o Earth First! Austin, (512) 320-0413, PO Box 7292, Austin, TX 78713, email: entropy@eden.comEndorsements for End Corporate Dominance month:
Corporate Watch (USA) Earth First! McLibel Support Campaign An Talamh Glas (Earth First! Ireland) REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay Peace Action of San Mateo County Alliance for Democracy Austin Garbage-campaign Justice? and Schnews (a Brighton direct action newsletter) Student Direct Action Coalition
UPDATESWe are already getting in quite a few encouraging responses to the action alert for Oct. '97 End Corporate Dominance month. Below are some items of interest:
So far we have heard of ECD actions planned for: Idaho; Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Chicago; Austin, TX; New Orleans, LA; Bethlehem, NH; Chattenooga, TN; Boulder, CO; Green Bay, WI; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Washington, DC; Ottowa, Ontario; Eugene & elsewhere, OR; Carbondale, IL Anti-corporate events planned by other groups not necessarily affiliated (yet) with the ECD campaign include:
- An international day of action in early Oct. against Peabody Coal over the Big Mountain mining/forced relocation of the Navaho. Contact: tortuga@igc.org
- Campaign for Labor Rights day of action against Nike sweatshops on Oct. 18th in Canada, the United States, Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and England. They are also calling Oct. 4th a "Day of Conscience" to promote a petition drive to promote a stronger accord on sweatshop regulations, to be delivered to the Whitehouse at the end of the year. For copies of the petition and an accompanying brochure, call the National Labor Committee at 1-212-242-3002. Contact: clr@igc.org
- The Foundation on Economic Trends, the Pure Food Campaign, and activists from around the world invite us to participate in the October 2-16, 1997 Global Days of Action against genetically engineered foods, life patents, and factory farming. Simultaneous demos are planned in 40 different countries. Contact: alliance@mr.net
Support/coendorsement has come from:
- REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay
- Peace Action of San Mateo County;
- Lawrence Soley, author of Leasing the Ivory Tower (which details how universities have been bought out by the corps.) has offered help to the campaign, and can be reached at SOLEYL@vmsb.csd.mu.edu
- Austin Alliance for Democracy
Free copies of Multinational Monitor can be had for any October ECD-type event by contacting Rob: monitor@essential.org "End Corporate Dominance" bumperstickers are available from the Earth First! Journal. Call 541-344-8004.
There is an excellent listserve which has offered to let us coordinate ECD events on their list. (Some of you are already on it.) This list discusses general corporate info and theory, action alerts, and coordination of the Corporations and Democracy Teach-ins being held Mar 1-7, 1998. Soon this list will be split into three lists roughly along these lines. I'm thinking about just subscribing all of you, unless you have objections. I will wait for a couple of weeks before I start subscribing y'all to this list. If you want to get on right now, Here's what to do:
- send e-mail to listproc@envirolink.org
The subject line can be blank. In the body of the message type only this:
subscribe corporations Your Name
- If you need to unscribe from the list, do this:
send e-mail to listproc@envirolink.org
The subect line can be blank. In the body of the message type only this:
signoff corporations
- If you want to post to the list (and please do, that's why it's here!):
send e-mail to corporations@envirolink.org
Fill in the subject line, type your message in the body, send it.There are a lot of good anti-corporate web sites, including:
Thanks to all of you for your excellent work! Please stay in touch, and let us know all about your events!
Cedar Stevens
Earth First! End Corporate Dominance Campaign
c/o EF! Austin P.O.Box 7292 Austin, TX 78713 (512) 320-0413
<entropy@eden.com>Preamble It has the world's resources at it's disposal. It gobbles whole mountains and forests, drinks rivers dry, spews toxic waste, and enslaves whole populations. It has all the rights of a citizen, but few of the limitations. It can cross national borders as if they were cobwebs. It is immortal, and can therefore amass wealth and power beyond the capabilities of mere mortals. It has powers that dwarf and control governments. It controls the newspapers, radio, and television, and so it controls the "truth." It controls humans' access to food, water, shelter, employment, and energy. If humans struggle against its tyranny, it buys them out or knocks them down with lawsuits, firings, harassment, and if necessary, murder.
Are we talking about some sort of selfish, ill-tempered GOD???
In a way, we are. We are talking about the CORPORATION.
Why do we allow an inanimate thing, just an idea really, to have so much power over our lives and the fate of the entire planet?
People created corporations with ideas, words and laws, but the creation has turned into a MONSTER. Many of us believe that it is now time to end the monster's reign of terror, and that with a different set of ideas, words, and laws, we can kill the monster, or at least put it in a good strong cage.
This is what the campaign to END CORPORATE DOMINANCE is about. Whether you are an environmentalist, a labor activist, a human rights campaigner, a campaign finance reformer, or any citizen in a dispute with an insurance company, bank, etc., your ideas, words, and actions can become a part of this campaign. The key is to make our efforts directed to the root of the problem, not just the symptoms.
Nobody has illusions that this battle will be easy. We just know that the time to begin has come.Already, countless organizations are doing the work. People of all these movements are joining forces, and they are demanding that corporations release their control over the Earth and all its inhabitants.